Exodus29

Exodus chapter 29 details the elaborate seven-day ritual for consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. This process involves washing, dressing in holy garments, anointing with oil, and offering specific sacrifices, including a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a ram of consecration. The chapter also establishes the perpetual daily burnt offering of two lambs at the tabernacle. These rituals ensure the priests and the altar are hallowed for service, enabling God to dwell among the children of Israel.
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

The Ritual of Consecration Begins

1
“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, ​
2
along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour,
3
put them in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.
4
Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ​
5
Take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband.
6
Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to the turban.
7
Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. ​
8
Present his sons as well and clothe them with tunics.
9
Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons. ​

Sacrifices for Atonement and Dedication

10
You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. ​
11
And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
12
Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ​
13
Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
14
But burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering. ​
15
Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
16
You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar.
17
Cut the ram into pieces, wash the entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces.
18
Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ​

The Ram of Consecration

19
Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. ​
20
Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. ​
21
And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments. ​
22
Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination),
23
along with one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.
24
Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ​
25
Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar atop the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
26
Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion. ​
27
Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination.
28
This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace offerings. ​
29
The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them.
30
The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days. ​
31
You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.
32
At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket.
33
They must eat those things by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred. ​
34
And if any of the meat of ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

The Seven-Day Consecration

35
This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. ​
36
Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. ​
37
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy. ​

The Continual Daily Offering

38
This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. ​
39
Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight.
40
With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.
41
And offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
42
For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. ​

The Divine Promise of Dwelling

43
I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory. ​
44
So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.
45
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. ​
46
And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 29

Verse 1

This chapter details the elaborate, seven-day ritual necessary to hallow (sanctify) Aaron and his sons, separating them from the community for sacred service. The materials listed here correspond to the three types of sacrifices required.

Verse 4

Washing the candidates with water symbolizes the necessary purification and cleansing required before anyone could approach the divine presence or enter ministry.

Verse 7

The anointing oil was poured specifically upon Aaron’s head, marking him as the High Priest (the 'Anointed One') and symbolizing the setting apart by divine power for his office.

Verse 9

This establishes the priesthood as a hereditary office ('perpetual statute'), passed down through Aaron's lineage, emphasizing the permanence of the institution within the Mosaic covenant.

Verse 10

The laying on of hands signifies identification; Aaron and his sons transfer their sin and unworthiness onto the sacrificial animal, making it their substitute.

Verse 12

Applying blood to the horns of the altar sanctifies the altar itself, concentrating the atonement at the point where God and man meet.

Verse 14

The sin offering was burned 'without the camp' because it was considered highly contaminated by the sin it carried; it could not remain within the holy space of the community.

Verse 18

The burnt offering (olah) was entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing the total dedication and surrender of the worshiper to God, providing a 'sweet savor' (an offering acceptable to the Lord).

Verse 19

This second ram is specifically called the 'ram of consecration' (v. 22) and involves a unique rite focused on the physical sanctification of the new priests.

Verse 20

Applying the blood to the right ear, hand, and foot sanctified the priests’ entire being—their hearing (obedience), their actions (service), and their walk (lifestyle) were dedicated to God.

Verse 21

The combination of blood (atonement) and anointing oil (sanctification) sprinkled on the priests and their garments signifies that they are set apart and made holy through both purification and divine endowment.

Verse 24

The 'wave offering' ritual (tenufah) involved the priest moving the offering horizontally before the altar, symbolizing the presentation of the offering to God and its subsequent reception back by the priest.

Verse 26

The breast of the ram was assigned to Moses (Israel's mediator) for this specific ceremony, illustrating the relationship between the priesthood and the prophetic leadership.

Verse 28

This verse establishes the permanent regulation concerning the priests' income: specific portions of the sacrificial meals (the heave offerings) were their sustenance, guaranteeing their livelihood from Israel’s worship.

Verse 30

The successor High Priest had to wear the holy garments for seven full days during his own installation, linking him ritually to the original consecration and validating his authority.

Verse 33

Only consecrated priests could eat the consecrated food, as it was the means by which atonement was made. Eating it symbolized participation in the holiness of the ritual; a 'stranger' (layman) eating it would profane the holiness.

Verse 35

The seven-day period signifies completeness and perfection, ensuring the full and total sanctification of Aaron and his sons before their ministry could begin.

Verse 36

The altar itself required seven days of sin offerings and anointing, demonstrating that even the instruments of worship must be cleansed and sanctified before they can mediate holiness.

Verse 37

The altar becomes 'most holy' (qodesh qodeshim); anything that touches it is automatically dedicated to God, highlighting the extreme sanctity of the sacrificial site.

Verse 38

This section establishes the *Tamid* (continual) offering, the essential daily ritual of two lambs (morning and evening), forming the permanent rhythm of worship for the nation.

Verse 42

The continual offering is not just sacrifice but covenant maintenance; it establishes the place 'where I will meet you' (the Israelites) and speak to Moses, linking the daily ritual to divine communication.

Verse 43

God promises to sanctify the Tabernacle, not merely through ritual, but through the manifestation of His glory (the *kavod*), affirming His acceptance of the sanctuary.

Verse 45

This verse states the ultimate purpose of the Tabernacle and the priestly system: God desires to dwell physically among His people. This is the goal of the covenant relationship.

Verse 46

The dwelling of God among them serves as the culmination and proof of the Exodus; they know Yahweh is their God because He brought them out of Egypt specifically to establish His presence among them.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options